In recent history, whenever an evacuated area has been totally trashed by a storm, it has typically required 5 DAYS before authorities permit residents to return. Genuine helpers have to wait even longer.
I know, I know - public safety and looter prevention - I've heard all that. But time and time again, I see this and keep thinking "Gee, you're trying to encourage people to get out of harm's way, and then don't let them come back to help assess their own damage!" Such a plan doesn't exactly encourage people to leave if they know they can't return.
In these situations, it certainly seems that everybody involved turns 'Republican.' By this I mean the thoughts of "nobody's gonna be here to help me, I'm going to have to take care of myself, my family, and my property. And that is true to a great extent. But when the local authorities -- under the guise of safety -- prevent people from doing that very thing, they undermine the very pioneer spirit that I speak of.
There has GOT to be a way to get people back home quicker: without this, people will try and stay -- and people will die.
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It's certainly easy to understand the mindsets of the people who choose to stay with their property.
I understand exactly what you are saying, particularly regarding reasons for people not heeding evacuation orders...........but in many cases it is understandable about not letting the residents in right away to make assessments.
It takes time to get roads cleared, downed power lines taken care of, unstable structures, possible contaminated water, etc.......there is much danger in the aftermath of these storms, even though the storm itself has passed.
This is in no way defending overly long periods of time before allowing residents to stay, but more times than not they are erring on the side of caution.
That's exactly the reason my fil doesn't want to leave. He saw what happened after Charley where the people on the island couldn't back to their homes for days afterward. He said that's not going to happen to him.